From Mety with love

Mety Darmali the Designer and Brand, started in early 1998 with Mety Darmali deciding to surround herself with her dreams of her “Creations”. Now, she sells all over the world including  Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Singapore or Malaysia.

The career of Mety Darmali is a classic story. Born into an entrepreneurial family, she has traveled the world from a very young age on and was inspired from world cities, that she called home.

The degree in Business Economics and the natural gift for Fine Arts provides her the tools and background to be grounded and professional in all business affairs.

Prior to establishing Mety Darmali Accessory Collection, the designer started her career for the Fashion House Nina Ricci, as country manager for Far East. Part of her portfolio was the responsiblity for product design and development of Cosmetics for the group. During this time, her designs turned into best sellers!

Determination and creativity crystallized from early age already - as a young girl,  at the age of 6, she insisted to rename herself to ‘Mety’ which has become eventually her legal official name.

Mety Darmali is known for her passion and devotion to the things that are precious in her life. Her constant search for new ideas and innovation keeps her ahead of her times. The devotion to detail is apparent in all her products which are all intimately connected to her world.

Transforming plain, natural fiber produce into an extraordinary hip and stylish line of bags and accessories marked her debut collection. It was so well received that it gave Mety Darmali the confidence and reassurance to proceed in creating “her world of design.” As she like to describe it:

“My artistic dream of bridging art and beautiful things into an iconic style that will give pleasure to behold and the pride of owning”

Mety Darmali latest creation of Whimsical designs is based on fairy tales and everyday life merging. This current obsession has quickly established a huge cult following.

CLASH OF THE TITANS: Central Saint Matins Vs. London College of Fashion Design Awards

Central Saint Martins Preview

As every year, Central Saint Martins in collaboration with L’Oréal Professionnel, celebrates the Young Designer of the year award which this year went to Yi Fang Wan for her exquisite collection of intricately draped pale cottons.

Menswear designer Alex Mullins was awarded a runner-up prize for his brightly coloured, circus-inspired shirts, wacky headgear and oversized jackets.

Other names that YOU SHOULD REMEMBER are:

Huishan Zhang - whose CV includes a placement at Christian Dior haute couture atelier and winner of the Christian Dior project.

Helen Price

Tarik Kiswanson - placement at Balenciaga and assistant to head designer at Christian Lacroix, junior designer at Valentino.

Nicholas Smith - interned with John Galliano.

Tine Beez - worked with Felder Felder and Amin Phillips

 

London College of Fashion

London College of Fashion took its turn down the catwalk last night, showcasing some very impressive collectionsof its BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology students. Featuring the collections of 26 students - selected from over 200 who will graduate this summer.

Nattaphon Sampathakdee won himself Collection of the Year with his sophisticated and sleek take on menswear that had luxe dressing gown lounge appeal, while Yelena Loguiiko scooped herself the Design and Technology award for her gorgeous folklore meets Picasso-inspired collection - from which we wanted to pinch pretty much every coat and jacket right away. They came elegantly dotted with embellishment, but not too much, while shoulders were smoothly sculpted and elbows clad in fur.

Vilvin Sabu and Karishma Shahani were the other two winners of the night, receiving awards for Best Use of Embellishment and Fashion Textiles respectively.

Also, caught of the public the quaint folkloric collection of Connie Lo, which was just the right side of kitsch to be wearable; Xiao Li's fun and frivolously embroidered mix of denim and knits in a pastel palette of pink and baby blue; Steph Goynes' Native American knitted jumper dresses and loosely belted jackets; Flett Bertram's beautifully tassel-festooned miniskirts and blouses which cleverly combined something cute yet ladylike; Jess Sayers' smothered sequin ensembles - in dark purple shades, they successfully missed the too-blingy mark; and Joanna Prichard's mix of minimalism and drapery.

EGOrepublic meets edgE

Quickly rising through the ranks of fashion is the visual artist edgE, working with BIG names such as Chanel D&G and Dior as well as names like Julian MacDonald and Gianfranco Ferre. With many exciting projects and collaborations in the pipeline that include a new collection of lingerie with designer Jade Little and a hat with New Era, edgE is clearly one to look out for.

 

For info visit: facebook.com/whoisedgE

http://www.whoisedge.com/

HOLLYWOOD BABYLON - LONDON CONNECTION

Sarah-Elizabeth Cooper

Sarah-Elizabeth Cooper is a young fashion designer, currently in the final stage of studying on London College of Fashion’s Womenswear BA. Sarah-Elizabeth's designs are inspired by club culture and street style as well as bloggers, exhibitions, literature, historical references, cultural references.
In the final year of her course, Sarah-Elizabeth has not only created a spectacular luxury collection, but she has also gone beyond the realms of fashion design and explored the use of film and social media in her working process:

AW 10-11: THE HOLLYWOOD BABYLON COLLECTION

Inspired by Kenneth Anger’s cult book Hollywood Babylon, Sarah-Elizabeth’s debut collection explores the dark side of Hollywood’s Golden age. This season pictures a scandalous starlet of the thirties’ Sin City, and contrasts the concept of hiding versus being exposed.  

With an incessant approach to design development, the Hollywood Babylon collection was conceived as a result of more than 100 toiles exploring shape and silhouette as well as countless detail samplers. Having been awarded a sponsorship with Saga furs, Sarah-Elizabeth visited their Copenhagen studios where she worked on a number of exciting fur designs. 

The silhouette focuses on an exaggerated neckline symbolizing hiding away whilst the concept of being exposed is revealed through cut-outs and cut-away sections. Skin-tight catsuits portray nakedness whilst loosely fitting gowns represent being covered. Attentive hand-worked detailing paired with sensuous chiffons and organzas, give a soft and light feeling. This is a luxury collection with a great attention to detail and quality - from hidden silk structuring to individually sewn feathers and hand-stitched fox.

Photography: Kiss Me Tiger (1st & 2nd), Katy Davies (3rd & 4th), Cassia Tabatini www.cassiatabatini.co.uk (5th & 6th)
Make-up Artist: Sarah Piva-Casadei
Models: Elle Bugge & Kristina Vassiliev



With an exceptional eye for detail and a persistent approach to improvement and learning new skills, Sarah-Elizabeth has a winning combination of raw talent and a fervent passion for her work.

For more info: http://www.sarahelizabethcooper.com/

        ‘Sarah-Elizabeth Blog’

"For people that set trends rather than follow them" B-Company

Stylish, chic and fashionable are some of the words that best describe the work of the Dutch fashion designer, Brigitte Van Gelderen and her brand, B-Company.

Only six years after its establishment, B-company is breaking down stovepipes of the handbag design. The innovative and handy twist of these bags make them a must-have! item in the wardrobe of any fashionista.

Brigitte confesses that after working for a while in the fashion industry, setting up B-Company "did not seem that big at the time". Now, her exclusive hand-crafted bags have gained her admirers all around the world.

B- Company's fashion statement is simple: Follow you own way. The result? A trendy and fresh brand that through a wide array of materials [fair-trade always] aspires to express independence and individualism of every one of us.

"Basically, I just try to design bags for people who are searching for their own identity, blending various style elements and materials. I aim to design and create for people who don't want to walk with the crowd- For people that set trends rather than follow trends" - Brigitte Van Gelderen, owner & creative director of B-Company.

For more designs check out http://www.b-company.nl/

Tell me WHAT you carry and I will tell you WHO you are

Debbie Percy

THE HANDBAG THERAPIST

Have you ever wondered “what your handbag says about you”? Well, this is the moment because, yes! you have heard correctly, Debbie Percy is one of the few handbag therapists in the world.

I met her in the opening day of House of Maffia (New PR Agency by Lisa Maffia) and she amased me from the very beginning. Just by analising your handbag content, Debbie will provide you with some [ALWAYS positive!] feedback about your character – which we all too often forget to celebrate. In addition, her analysis may also provoke some relevant thoughts about areas of your life to work on or change so that you can enjoy life to the full!

But since seeing is believing, let me show you two real examples of HANDBAG THERAPY.

Maria Randaccio

I love how full of purpose your bag is – it has focus! I wonder what else it will reveal by what’s inside!

I sense you are a lady who loves adventure! Travel plays an important role in life and can create a sense of adventure for you. Your bag is suggesting that this is a way to remain positive.

I would describe you as confident socially. Someone who is popular and has a positive attitude. You are a polite lady. This does not mean you can be a rude or impolite person.

I sense you are creative and have good intuition. Make sure you are listening to your ‘gut instincts’ especially when you are facing uncertainty or can’t see the way forward. Your instincts will serve you well, when you find yourself ‘chewing over issues’, going round in circles or feeling like you are not getting anywhere! You have energy and passions. It is important to pursue these passions, to use your mind and to think about how to expand your interest in new ways.

You seem to have found a way to streamline your bag; it is neat, tidy and minimalist in terms of the contents. I wonder if this is out of pleasure or out of a need to feel less ‘chaotic’. There is something in your bag that suggests your life can be unpredictable! You seem to be a lady who wants to be ready for action!

Finally! Don’t hide your love! If that is your love for a person or for a passion, or interest. Let it out! Give it life! Trust your creative ability to craft a direction for you to follow. Knowing your direction is important and will help you to continue to be expressive with who you are and what you want to do.

Bianca Spada

Well Bianca! Your striking bag is full of insight into your personality. Let’s take a close look at what it reveals.

You are a wonderfully reliable and dependable lady. Others will value this quality in you knowing they can depend upon you to do what you say you will do. You are a pragmatic lady with a wonderful ‘down to earth’ quality about you that will draw people to you.

You are a single minded, focused lady. You are busy, ‘on the go’ with lots of energy! When you have ‘down moments’ in life, such as feeling uncertain or confused – your ability to remain positive will help you find the clarity that you want.

You have aspirations, maybe a dream – something that may at times just feel like a dream to you. You enjoy thinking of new ideas, and are drawn to new beginnings, new ideas, or paths to follow. Yet at times, I sense that you may ‘second doubt’ yourself or your aspirations or dream: don’t! Follow your dreams, and passions and notice where your energy is drawn and towards whom or what!

If I knew you well as a friend, I would describe you as very friendly, kind, generous, and tactful. You make a good friend! Others will trust you and find you mature as well as fun loving! Concepts such as marriage may be important to you as a way of expressing trust.

Finally! Inspiration is important at the moment. What inspires you? Who helps you to feel a sense of satisfaction in work, or outside of work? Be an inspiration to others and leave your ‘mark’ on the world! You are destined to do so.

Debbie is not only a great and fun person, she also nailed our analysis! So, don't hesitate and get your hangbag therapy! To make a booking email: debbie@handbagtherapy.com

   
To find out more about using Handbag Therapy as a unique or unusual gift, to read my blog, or to subscribe to my newsletter go to
 

http://www.handbagtherapy.com/

Happiness is in the Bag!

Welcome to the "Gipsy Circus" of Paolo Inselvini & Enrico Odano

Different ages, different nationalities, different approaches - Same passion: Fashion photography. Paolo and Enrico met two years ago and recently began to work together. Their passion and their genuine friendship is helping them to improve every day as seen in their latests photoshoots.

  

Photographers: Paolo Inselvini & Enrico Odano

Model: Anna Varaksina @ Fashion Model Management Milano

Make-up Artists & Hair: Oriana Curti  www.orianacurti.com

Stylist: Giuly Vesce & Carlotta Cozzani

Assistant - Elisabetta Melfi.

www.paoloinselvini.net & www.enricoodano.it